The revival of Chinese hanfu, or traditional dress of the Han people, in recent years has drawn attention to the complicated etiquette surrounding buttons.
As the Xinzhongshi, or neo-Chinese style clothing, took over the market in recent years, some people complained online that they had bought clothes that would bring bad luck.
The telltale sign was the number of buttons on a garment.
In some Chinese regions, a folk belief existed which held that if the number of buttons is four or six, this would hinder the wearers’ career success because of the old saying “four or six, neither one thing nor the other”.
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As the number of buttons on a garment is usually limited, the belief was also passed down that an even number of buttons would bring bad fortune.
There are also theories that odd numbers of buttons are for the living and even number is for the dead.
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However, it is also thought that a shroud should have no buttons at all, as the Chinese character for button, kou, also means “hold back” and the dead’s offspring fear to be “held back” by their ancestors.
